Kaspersky researchers have identified a new malware campaign, SparkCat, distributing malicious apps on both Android and iOS platforms. The malware uses OCR technology to steal cryptocurrency recovery phrases from infected devices.
Researchers from Kaspersky have uncovered a sophisticated malware campaign dubbed SparkCat, actively distributing malicious apps on both Android and iOS platforms since March 2024. Dmitry Kalinin and Sergey Puzan, the Kaspersky researchers who identified the threat, highlighted the stealthy nature of SparkCat, where seemingly legitimate apps request normal permissions, masking their malicious intent.
The malware, primarily targeting cryptocurrency users, leverages optical character recognition (OCR) technology to scan a device's photo library for screenshots of recovery phrases linked to crypto wallets. Once compromised, attackers can potentially gain access to a victim's cryptocurrency holdings.Kaspersky researchers discovered infected apps on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, underscoring the vulnerability of both platforms to such attacks. Notably, this marks the first instance of OCR spyware being found within Apple's official app marketplace. While the App Store is known for its stringent security measures, this discovery serves as a reminder that no platform is entirely immune to sophisticated cyber threats
MALWARE MOBILE APPS ANDROID IOS CRYPTOCURRENCY OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION SPARKCAT
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